Egg-candler.



W. FOSTER EGG GANDLER.

AEPLKGATIOH FILED NOV. 4, 1912.

LWififiQ Patented. 60314;,1913.

[VITA/E5555.- INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

WILLIAM W. FOSTER, OF SAN DIEGO, GALIFQRNIA- I EGG-GANDLER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

Application filed November 4, 1812. Serial No. 739,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. Fos'rnn, a subject of the King of England, and a resident of San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Candlers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for testing eggs, and some of the objects of my improvement are, rapidity of testing, simplicity of construction and operation, to test eggs in large quantities with minimum handling and hence the savin of labor and minimizing breakage, to facilitate thorough testing and the removal of rots from the fillers, facility of transferring the eggs from a damaged filler to a fresh one, and comparative inexpensiveness of manufacture.

These and other objects I attain by means of the mechanism and apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation; Fig. 2, a top plan view; Fig. 3, an edge view of the cover and bottom plate; Fig. 4, an edge view of the initial reversible filler platen; 5, an edge elevation of the terminal filler platen; Fig. 6, a plan view of the cover and bottom plate; and, Fig. 7 is a plan view of the bottom board of the filler.

Similar reference numbers refer to simi- 'lar parts throughout the several vlews of the drawings.

A frame, 1, a'casing, 2, an initial filler platen, 3, and a terminal filler platen, 4, constitute the principal parts of the a paratus.

The frame 1 comprises paralle bars, 5 and 6, provided with four legs, 7, which support the bars in horizontal position at a suitable hei ht from the floor.

At the le t-hand end of frame 1 (Figs. 1

and 2') is mounted, in the frame, between board. An extension, 13, of board 10 is translumination.

provided with a pivot, 14, on each edge by which it is pivotally mounted between bars 5 and 6.

A filler full of eggs is taken from a case, by grasping the cardboard bottom under the filler, and placed upon the laten. In Figs. 1 and 7 15 indicates the car board bottom of the filler. A cover and bottom plate,

'16, for the filler is provided, which comprises an opaque plate of sheet material formed with round holes, 17, so positioned that they register with the eggs in the filler when the plate is placed thereon as a cover. The holes 17 are of such a diameter that an egg placed therein will not pass through but will rest therein in stable equilibrium and provide sufiicient opening for light for The plate 16 is preferably provided with a right-angular leg 18.

After the filler of eggs is placed on platen 3 plate 16 is slipped over-the top thereof underneath extension 12 (Fig. 1) with leg 18 depending and engaging an edge of the filler and the exposed side engaging the under side of extension 12. The platen 3. and the front edge of plate 16 are now grasped with the hand, so that the filler of eggs is firmly held between them. The whole is then swung over, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, to the position 9. It will be seen that in'this position the plate 16 ,now forms the bottom of the filler and the bottom board, 15, is on top, underneath board 10, and the eggsare resting each in v The bottom board 15 is then removed. The boxes 41 are completely covered in Fig. 2 by the dark box 27. A conveyer belt, 19, presently to be described, provided with carrier lugs, 20, mounted thereon, is' now operated, and a lug 20 engages the leg 18 of the plate16 and f conveys the plate and filler toward the right out of engagement with extension 12 of platen 3. Platen 3 may now be swung back into initial position ready to receive another filler. The conveyor belt 19 preferably com-' prises two strands, one adjacenteach bar 5 and 6, leaving an open space between them.

It is mounted upon a pulley, 21, at the left hand end of frame 1 and a pulley, 22, in I the right-hand end of the frame and passes under an idler, 23, mounted below bars 5 and 6. The pulleys 21 and 22 are journaled in the bars 5 and 6 on suitable shafts. The

shaft of e provided with a crank, 24, or

other suitable driving means, for operating the conveyer belt. A small roller, 25, is mounted across the frame on journals and is connected with ulley 22 by a short belt, 26, the purpose of which will presently be described.

Approximately in the middle of frame 1 is mounted the casing 2, which comprises a dark box, 27, mounted on top of the frame, and an illuminating box, 28, preferably mounted underneath the frame under and in register with dark box 27. The dark box 27 is provided at the top with a shield, 29, after the manner of a stereoscope, and perforations, or a single opening, 30, through which the operator may view his work. In the front wall of box 27 are provided armholes, 31, which may be provided with short sleeves of black cloth through which the hands of the operator are thrust, for the purpose of handling the eggs within the box and excluding the exterior light. From each end wall of dark box 27 depend dark curtains, 32 and 33, which permit the ingress and egress of the fillers on the conveyer belt 19 and drop down after them so as to excludethe outside light.

The illuminating box 28 comprises a floor, 34, and partialcover boards, 35 and 36. Underneath the boards 35 and 36 are arranged electric lamps, 37 and 38, extending inward from the front and rear sides of the box. Beginning with the free edge of boards 35 and 36 and extending underneath and around under lamps 37 and 38 and upward to a point, 39, is a reflector, 40, which serves the purpose of directing the light from lamps 37 and 38 in diffused form upward through the perforations 17 in plate 16 and through the eggs in the filler to the eyes of the operator. It will now be understood that when the operator turns crank 24 he may convey the filler of eggs within dark box 27 and cause it to rest in the position shown in Fig. 1 immediately above illuminating box 28, where he may view the entire filler of three dozen eggs at a single glance. All the fresh eggs will appear translucent, whereas the rots will appear dark. If there are dark ones he removes them with his hands, which are free within the dark box, and places them in a box, 41, arranged in frame 1, and may substitute fresh eggs therefor taken from a compartment of either box 41 arranged for the purpose. After the filler of eggs has been tested and when it is satisfactory, crank 24 is again operated, the filler passes out of the dark box and rides up over belt 26, over roller 25, overbalances, and rests upon inclined ways, 42, in the position shown in Fig. 1, near the terminal end, at the right-hand end of the frame. Here is provided the terminal filler platen 4, pivoted in the frame at 43 and adapted to swing as shown by dotted lines (Fig. 1) and rests in horizontal final position. Preparatory to receiving the filler of eggs (platen 4 is swung over forward in inverte posture. It is provided with a rightangular leg similar to leg 18 of platen 3, and with a forward extension, 44. It will now be understood that when the filler of eggs is conveyed over roller 25 it passes under platen 4 and into engagement with extension 44, and filler bottom board 15 may now be inserted between platen 4 and the filler. The plate 16 and the laten 4 may now be grasped at the free en so as to securely hold the filler between them, and the.

whole swung over to final horizontal position, as shown. Plate 16 is new again on top of the filler and may be removed, and filler is provided with a bottom board 15 ready to be placed in an egg case.

It sometimes occurs that a filler has become soiled, wet, damp or broken and needs to be replaced with a fresh one. This'is readily accomplished in the following manner: Normally platen 4 is provided with a block, 45, covering the upper surface thereof and having the same thickness as an egg filler. This block is fastened to the platen 4 by means of hooks, 46, or similar means by which it may be quickly and easily secured to the platen or released therefrom. When it is required to transfer the eggs to a fresh filler, previous to inverting the platen 4 block 45 is removed and a filler is substituted therefor, and the bottom board 15 is now inserted over the filler, as usual, but is placed between platen 4 and the fresh filler. It will now beunderstood that when the platen and the filler are swung over, as previously described, and reach the final horizontal posture, the eggs will drop out of the damaged filler into the fresh filler beneath it and may be placed into the case in a fresh filler. The eggs may be transferred by means of this apparatus previous to testing and afterward placed upon the initial. platen, if preferred.

It is preferable for three operators-to work with the machine at the same time, one placing the fillers upon the initial platen, another being at the dark box, and the third removing and replacing eggs in the case.

It is obvious that with this apparatus large quantities of eggs may be re-handled with great facility and expedition; that breakage is reduced to a minimum.

The apparatus is com aratively inexpensive of manufacture an may be so constructed as to be very durable. The expense of operation and maintenance is comparatively small.

Having thus described my invention, so that anyone skilled in the art pertaining thereto may make it, and anyone of ordinary intelligence may understand its use, I claim 1. An egg candler comprising a frame, a conveyer belt mounted to travel longitudinally in said frame, a dark box mounted on said frame over said belt, provided with armholes and light excluding sleeves, said belt being adapted to carry a filler of eggs in the filler into said dark box, an eye shield mounted on the top of said dark box, a reflector mounted under said dark box and lamps mounted at the side of said reflector, said lamps and" said reflector being adapted to radiate light through the eggs in the filler conveyed into said dark box.

2. An egg candler, comprising a frame, a reversible filler platen for receiving a case filler full of eggs mounted in said frame, a perforated opaque cover and bottom plate for placing over the filler which forms the bottom of the filler after reversal, each egg in the filler resting in a perforation of sal cover and bottom plate, a dark box mounted on said frame, provided with armholes and light excluding sleeves, means for conveying a filler of eggs into said dark box, and illuminating means mounted on said frame so arranged that light radiates through the perforations of said cover and bottom plate, the eggs in the case filler, and said dark box, to the eyes of the o erator.

3. In an egg can ler a frame, a platen for receiving a filler of eggs, a perforated opaque plate so placed that the perforations thereof register with the eggs in the filler, a casing mounted in said frame, transluminating means in said casing and reversible means for facilitating the transfer of said filler of eggs to an egg case.

4. An egg candler, comprising a frame, a reversible egg filler platen, a perforated cover and bottom plate for initially placing over the filler as a cover and forming a bottom for the filler after reversal on said platen, so placed that each perforation of said platen registers with an egg in the filler and the egg rests in the perforation, a casing mounted'in said frame, means for conveying a filler of eggs into and.through said casing, a terminal reversible egg filler receiving platen mounted in said frame, whereby a board bottom is applied to the filler, said cover and bottom plate is removed, and all the eggs in the filler may be transferred into a fresh filler simultaneously.

5. In an egg candler, a frame, a casing mounted in said frame and comprising a dark box and an illuminating box, said dark box being adapted to receive a filler full of eggs, and to admit the ban s of the operator and light-excluding sleeves and curtains.

6. In an egg candler, a frame, a casing mounted in said frame and comprising a dark box and an illuminating box, said dark box being adapted to receive a filler full of eggs, and provided with armholes to admit the hands of the operator and light-excluding sleeves and curtains, and receptacles for fresh eggs and rots.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM W. -FOSTER.

Witnesses:

ABRAM B. BOWMAN, EDITH M. MANWARING.

rovided with armholes. 

